A Stop Before Featherfin - June 27, 2014

I had over nighted at Walmart when the plan to stay at Albemarle Lake didn't quite pan out (not much excitement to report from Walmart except I prepared a really good filet mignon dinner!) and left there about 8:30am and headed toward Farmville, VA to the Featherfin Wildlife Management Area for hopefully, a weekend of camping for FREE!  Again, trusting the GPS girl to get me there. Thank goodness, we're done with the mountains and just have beautiful rolling hills now.  Crossing those mountains was something I just can't describe....except to say part of the time I didn't think I had any brakes....but whatever that situation was, it eventually righted itself!  NOT the best part of an adventure!

So, through the rolling hills of VA I go....very nice two lane roads...very green... past many very nice farms, horse farms and several vineyards.  Wanted to stop at the vineyards, but just kept going. Another beautiful summer day!  Coolish, sunny -- very pleasant morning for a drive. Not a lot of gas stations, so I thought as soon as I come into some little town I'd better get gas no matter the price, etc.
After another 4-5 miles, I drive into Scottsville, VA. What do we have here???  Looks interesting!  I immediately see a gas station and as I was waiting for the tank to fill I looked up and down the street....hmmmmmmm....think I'll check this place out.

I park in a large parking lot at the end of the street...evidently it's where the farmers' market is held on the weekends.  Cameras in hand, I start walking....

About a block down the street, I see an old building with flood marks painted on the side.  This little town sits right on the James River.  

Hard to believe the water had gotten that high! 

FLOODING HISTORY BY YEAR/WATER LEVEL

Continuing on down the street, there are a few little cafes and shops...very quaint.  I crossed the street and started walking back taking a few more shots of the old buildings.

I decided to turn left on one street just to see what was there....

The town had created a little history park.  Evidently, there's quiet a colonial history here!

In the park were some original boat hulls...not just any boats....boats that had significant history.

All pretty interesting!

I continued on up the street and found a few more nice buildings....the Scottsville Museum (closed on weekdays), an old inn and a pleasant, no frills, private garden....

Across the street is a river rafting/touring company.....soooooooo the river is right down there....a short trek by the rafting place, an old train depot, a building with no description and another flood marker.....there's the infamous James River....

Quite pretty!  But for the people of Scottsville over the centuries, many times it has not been so pretty.

Finally, this off the cuff stop wouldn't be complete without seeing an odd window display.....not sure what they're trying to say here....make up your own story!  LOL!

So, a gas stop turned into a mini-adventure.  A bit of history in a quaint little Virginia river town.  Good stop!  Now over the bridge and through the woods to Featherfin Wildlife Management Area...hopefully, for a weekend stay!